Topper Lilien has penned the screenplay about the iconic Grateful Dead frontman’s early life before joining the band that made him a household name. Film is based on the Robert Greenfield book “Dark Star,” an oral history of Garcia from family, friends and colleagues.

While the Grateful Dead has been the subject of previous documentaries, this project will be the first feature-length story about Garcia, who co-founded the band in 1965 and served as its lead guitar player, songwriter and one of its vocalists until his death in August 1995.

Garcia was acclaimed for combining blues, rock and psychedelic elements with a mastery of improvisational guitar. He pointed to a 1961 traffic accident — in which he was thrown from the car — as the turning point in his commitment to music.